El-Sakakini Palace.. Architecture Masterpiece of Egypt's Heritage

By: Ahmed Yasser

CAIRO, Feb.18. (SEE)- El-Sakakini Palace” is located at Downtown Cairo in EL-Daher District. It is one of Egypt’s oldest palaces that was built by “Habib Sakakini” Pasha in 1897.

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When he arrived in Egypt in the mid 19th century with his father from Damascus at the age of 16 to work for the Suez Canal Company in Port Said, the building’s later owner “Gabriel Habib Al-Sakakini, could not have known that he would one day become a member of Egypt’s elite and the owner of one of Cairo’s most distinguished private palaces.

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El-Sakakini chose an impressive site in El-Daher for his new home. The palace stands at the focal point of eight roads, making it a landmark in the area.The exterior design of the palace consists of five-storey building includes 50 rooms, over 400 windows and doors, is decorated with more than 300 busts and statues.

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There is a marble bust of the palace’s original owner at the entrance, while the gardens are today rather small when compared to the size of the palace and still contain the original statues and fountains. The interior of the palace is as opulent as exterior floors were made of parquet wood, the walls and ceilings were painted and decorated.The dining area still features the food elevator connecting it with the kitchens.

The palace was listed on Egypt’s Heritage list of Islamic and Coptic Monuments, putting it under the care of the Supreme Council of Antiquities in 1987.The Ministry of State for Antiquities opened El-Sakakini palace to visitors from the Fine Arts Faculty, who would go there to draw its unique decorations and statues.

The Ministry is planning to convert the palace into a medical museum includes medical instruments showing the progress of medicine in Egypt from ancient times to the present day.

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The museum will display medical instruments as well as papyri and manuscripts describing the prescriptions used for various illness and details related to surgery and dentistry. It will also have a section on mummification and embalming materials.